Hypertension

What exactly is hypertension?

Hypertension, often known as high blood pressure, is a disorder in which blood flows too quickly through your arteries. Hypertension damages the arteries and blood vessels, and it can even harm the heart.

Hypertension often has no symptoms and might go untreated for a long period. Patients who do exhibit symptoms complain of headaches, shortness of breath, and nosebleeds.

What causes high blood pressure?

The majority of the time, the cause of high blood pressure is unknown. The syndrome is connected with a number of risk factors, including:

• Obesity
• Inactivity
• Age
• cigarette smoking
• high sodium diet
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Stress
• Dietary potassium deficiency

Some conditions can induce an unexpected rise in blood pressure. This is known as secondary hypertension. These are some of the conditions:

• Kidney-related diseases
• Thyroid-related diseases
• Blood vessel malformations that occur at birth
• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
• Tumors of the adrenal gland

High blood pressure increases the risk of problems such as aneurysms, heart failure, and vascular dementia. High blood pressure is often detected during annual physicals with your primary care physician.

How is high blood pressure treated?

Your doctor must first assess the severity of your problem before you can begin treatment. A blood pressure monitor is used by your doctor to measure your blood pressure. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure is measured using blood pressure monitors.

The amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart beats is known as systolic pressure, and the amount of pressure in between beats is known as diastolic pressure. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg. If one or both readings are higher, you will be diagnosed with high blood pressure, often known as stage 1 or stage 2 hypertension.

Making lifestyle changes is the first step in managing hypertension. Diet and exercise are important factors in high blood pressure. Eating a low-sodium diet, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy body weight are all excellent approaches to treat high blood pressure.

However, in many cases, diet and exercise are insufficient to regulate blood pressure. In such cases, your doctor will prescribe blood pressure medicine. Your doctor will sit down with you at PrimeCare360 to build a specific treatment plan that targets your complete health.

Visit one of the Prime30care offices or arrange an appointment by phone or online to learn more about hypertension management.